Transcript
Opening Doors Collaboration: English 12 and Philosophy 71 Professors Steve Armstrong (English) and Rick Repetti (History, Philosophy, & Political Science) have just completed their first semester of linking Eng 12 and Phil 71.They have identified the following joint student learning objectives: Students should be able to 1. Grasp the diverse, complex, and subtle nature of philosophical language, concepts, problems/issues, theories, methodologies, and criteria 2. Construct, analyze, interpret, and evaluate philosophical texts, arguments, and theories and integrate them into their own pre-existing conceptual frameworks and their prior knowledge bases 3. Critically reflect on, evaluate, and possibly revise their own philosophical beliefs, values, and ways of life 4. Use textual analysis as a basis on which to formulate their own understandings and informed interpretations of the philosophical views of others 5. Integrate others' philosophical writings and views into their own ideas and essays Their syllabi and joint assignment follow.
Kingsborough Community College Spring 2006
ENGLISH 12: FRESHMAN ENGLISH I Section D10BM Hours: TU 8-10, W-TH 9-10 Professor Rick Armstrong (
[email protected]) Office: C118 Office Hours: TU-TH 11:30-12:30/W 12:40-1:40 and by appointment Office Phone: (718)368-5536 Linked with: Philosophy 71: Classical Philosophy: Section D01AM Hours: W/TH/FRI 8-9 Professor Rick Repetti (
[email protected]) Office: D223 Office Hours: M/Tu/Th 11:30-12:30 Office Phone: (718)368-5226 English 12 is the first half of the composition sequence. This English 12 section is part of the Opening Doors program and is linked to Philosophy 71. Therefore, this course will focus on philosophical issues with an emphasis on the relationship between the individual and environment. This class will use most of the same texts as the philosophy course. In this course the student will be introduced to the skill of integrating philosophy texts into her writing in order to both expand her knowledge of philosophy and improve her ability to think and write critically about philosophical issues. The student will be expected to: Take open book reading quizzes Participate in class/group discussions Complete the in-class/at home essays Complete a final research project Pass a departmental final examination Attendance: You will be marked absent: When you do not attend class If you arrive fifteen or more minutes after class has begun If you leave class for more than ten minutes
For every three times that you are late If you should take a cell phone call outside (see below) Turn cell phones off when you come into class. If your cell phone goes off, I will keep a record of cell phone rings and it will affect your participation grade. This class meets four times a week. The college allows eight absences for classes that meet four hours a week. These absences are yours to use in whatever way you need. Once you hit nine, you will receive a WU which means Withdrawal Without Credit, preventing you from passing the class. Essays need to be handed in on time. If the paper is a day or two late, I will accept it. If you know that you are having trouble and cannot reach the deadline, feel free to come and tell me sooner rather than later, so we can work out a timetable for you to submit the paper. I am somewhat flexible. However, the student must show a commitment to getting the work done. Also, if you discover that you are having many problems attending class or getting the work done, you should talk to the counselors provided by the Opening Doors program. A paper that is five days to a week late will not be accepted. The student must attend class for the in-class writings or she cannot gain the necessary experience writing under pressure. If the student does not attend the days on which there are in-class essays, the student will receive a zero on those essays. There will be no make ups. If the student misses the majority of quizzes, in-class writings, at home revisions, the student will receive a WU. When revising her essay, the student will be expected to make significant alterations in the form and content of the original in-class draft. The student will receive two separate grades for the first draft and the revision. Therefore, it is very possible that the revision could receive a lower grade than the first draft. Plagiarism: Plagiarism, submitting work that is not your own, whether taking papers off of the internet or having someone else write the paper for you, is a violation of the college’s academic integrity policy. If you are accused of plagiarizing a paper, we will have a meeting and you will
be shown the evidence of the offense. If the student is guilty of plagiarism, the student will typically receive a zero on that paper and have the offense noted on their academic record. Course grades will be computed by averaging: Contributions to in-class discussions (10%)* Average of grades for two in-class essays (10%) Performance on reading questions (15%) Average of grades for two take home revisions (20%) Grade for first draft of final research project (10%) Grade for second draft of final research project (15%) Grade for Departmental Final Examination (20%) *Not to frighten people from participating, however, your comments should be thoughtful and respectful of your other classmates, the instructor, and the text that the class is discussing. One, keep your comments typically related to the text that the class is discussing. Two, give the author(s) the proper respect that published authors deserve. If you are shy and do not like to talk in class, that is acceptable though, in that case, an “A” in participation is not possible. Still, a clearly alert and engaged student with her book open will earn at least a “B” in participation. Grades for essays will reflect: Clear and substantive thesis Well developed paragraphs Clearly explained ideas Tight organization within the essay Originality and sophistication of ideas Consideration of opposing positions Correctly using and documenting evidence (i.e. quoting and examples) from other texts in order to support the writer’s ideas Correct grammatical word forms Correct sentence structure Correct sentence boundaries
The Textbooks: Xeroxed articles handed out in class The Four Agreements Don Miguel Ruiz Tao Te-Ching Lao-Tzu Siddhartha Herman Hesse Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction Damian Keown The Trial and Death of Socrates Plato A college dictionary The Schedule(Subject To Change) Tuesday (2/28): Class introduction. Explain syllabus, link, and the type of writing that will be expected in the class. Homework: Read Mortimer Adler “Schooling Is Not Education.” Wednesday (3/1): Answer questions on Adler in groups or individually. Questions must be done by the end of the class. Homework: Read chapters one and two of The Four Agreements for Tuesday. Thursday (3/2): Return questions and discuss Adler’s essay in class. Tuesday (3/7): Finish examining Adler’s essay as a class (if necessary); watch The Matrix in class, considering its connections to The Four Agreements. Homework: Read chapters three and four of The Four Agreements for Wednesday. Wednesday (3/8): Finish watching The Matrix and discuss its connection to Ruiz’s ideas. Homework: Make sure that you have read chapters five and six of The Four Agreements by tomorrow. Thursday (3/9): Answer questions on chapters 2-3 either in groups or individually; questions must be done by the end of class. Homework: Finish the book for Tuesday. Tuesday (3/14): Return the questions. Write essay #1 in class. Wednesday (3/15): Get in groups and answer questions from the board on chapters 4-5. Homework: Take answers home and polish them for submission on Thursday. LAST DAY to Apply for Deletion of Spring 2006 Courses & Change of Curriculum for Spring 2006, EXCLUDING NURSING.
Thursday (3/16): Submit questions and have a final discussion on Ruiz. Homework: Read Albert Camus “The Myth of Sisyphus,” consider how Camus relates to Ruiz and The Matrix. Tuesday (3/21): Return essay and explain demands for revision; answer questions on Camus individually or in groups, turning them in by the end of class. Homework: Begin revising the in-class essay due on Wednesday (3/29). Wednesday (3/22): Discuss Camus as a group. Homework: Read pages VII-XV and 1-3 in Lao-Tzu Tao Te Ching. Thursday (3/23): Finish focusing on Camus (if necessary); take time to work on the essay in class; begin examining Taoism, considering the role of the individual in Taoism; explain strategies to interpret the Taoist aphorisms. Homework: Read pages 4-8 in Lao-Tzu; prepare revised essay to submit by Wednesday. Tuesday (3/28): Continue interpreting Taoism, looking for consistent themes. Homework: Finish your revised essay to hand in tomorrow. Wednesday (3/29): Turn in essay; continue examining Taoism. Homework: Read pages 9-11, 13 in Lao-Tzu. Thursday (3/30): Continue examining Taoism. Homework: Read pages 33, 47, 56, and 62 in Lao-Tzu and read chapters one and two in Siddhartha. Tuesday (4/4): Return and explain the issues with the revised essays; finish interpreting Taoism (if possible) and begin examining Siddhartha (if possible). Homework: Read chapters three and four in Siddhartha. Wednesday (4/5): Answer questions on the first two chapters of Siddhartha individually or in groups; questions must be finished by the end of class. Homework: Read chapters five and six. Thursday (4/6): Return the questions and begin discussing Hesse’s ideas as a class. Homework: Review the different authors that we have read so far in preparation for another in class essay.
Philosophy 71D01AM History of Philosophy: The Classical Philosophers
Spring 2006 Instructor: Rick Repetti
CURRICULUM, GOALS, METHODS, ASSESSMENT, GUIDELINES Φ Curriculum: The primary curriculum in this course is a hands-on (reading-, writing-, and debating-based) critical examination of the philosophers/philosophies of the Classical Era in Asia (e.g., Buddha, Taoism) and Greece (e.g., nature philosophy, Sophism, Socrates), and of other philosophies that parallel the Classical Era (e.g., Native American), as well as practice in the use of basic philosophical methods, terms, and other elements of philosophical discourse. Φ Goals: Ability to recognize and use basic philosophical terms, concepts, tools, methods Ability to recognize, construct, and evaluate arguments and counterarguments Ability to interpret philosophical texts (as arguments, tentative, relative, etc.) Ability to use reading-based writing as a tool for philosophical reflection Ability to entertain and adopt radically different perspectives Ability to evaluate claims by reference to their author’s evidence/reasons, one’s own evidence/reasons, multiply-possible contexts, and the total evidence/reasons Ability to explore, develop, and articulate one’s own beliefs, values, way of life Ability to calibrate belief, values, motives according to reasons, evidence Ability to engage in cooperative philosophical debate with opposing thinkers Develop the student’s philosophical understanding of, and position on, the Classical philosophers, philosophies, and philosophical issues Develop the student’s self-confidence as a life-long philosopher Φ Methods: The primary teaching methodology involves the student’s doing philosophy in the form of frequent, successively-staged, reading-based writing assignments forming a philosophical portfolio, group work, and in-class debate about the assigned texts. Φ Assessment: Portfolio 70%, quizzes 10%, midterm 10%, final 10%. Ψ Portfolio Assignments Grade Appropriate Form and Content D Evidence of Serious Effort C Evidence of Clear Philosophical Engagement with the Issues (Questions/Arguments/Texts) B Evidence of Student’s Own Philosophical Reasoning/Arguments on the Subject, Addresses Counter-Arguments A
Formal writing assignments also graded for grammar, spelling, etc.
Ψ Weekly Quizzes, Midterm and Final Weekly reading quizzes, multiple choice and T/F, scantron, #2 pencils Midterms/Finals cumulative, use of scantrons and/or essay booklets Φ Guidelines: Given the emphasis on reading, writing, and participation, full attendance and preparation are essential to success in this course. Frequent reading, reading-based writing, always in proper form and on time, group-work, and in-class discussion are required for success in this course. Think of this course as a ‘philosophical gym class’ – lots of daily philosophical exercises, in and out of class. Many of the writing assignments and quizzes are due or given at the start of class, so promptness is essential. I observe the “6 absences = F” rule, and I penalize unexcused absences/latenesses. As a strict rule, there are no make-ups for unexcused lateness/absence, and excused absence/lateness requires, but is not guaranteed by, authentically-documented proof. Negative behavior (disrespect, disruptive behavior, noise, cell phones, etc.) is not tolerated, and results in lower course grades or being removed from the course.
Philosophy 71D01AM
Instructor: Dr. Rick Repetti
WEEKS 1-2: WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? WHY PHILOSOPHY? Purpose: To read, write, and argue about what philosophy is and why it should be studied, about our own and each other’s personal philosophies and the philosophical views of one sample philosopher – the same types of exercises we will use throughout the semester. Skills Developed: Reading, writing and arguing about philosophy. Examining our own and each others’ beliefs and reasons (arguments), orally and in print. Recognizing and responding to counter-arguments. Responsibility for structured readings and writings designed to prepare for daily in-class debates. Beginning stages of an orderly philosophical portfolio. Use of electronic Blackboard. Vocabulary: Conclusion (belief/thesis), premise (reason), argument, counter-argument, counter-example, objection, evidence, world view, subjective, objective, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, analysis, contradiction, fallacy. Readings: Repetti, “Philosophy”; Krishnamurti, “The Function of Education”(handouts) Focus Questions: What makes something philosophical? Are world-views or ways of life philosophies? What’s the difference between having a philosophy and doing philosophy? Why am I in school? What is school for? Am I free to alter my beliefs, values, plans? Quotable Quotes: “Philosophy is extraordinary attention to, and analysis of, ordinary experience, language, concepts, beliefs, and values.” – Repetti “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates “The function of education has been to indoctrinate you into this rotten society”. – Krishnamurti “Society everywhere is working against the individuality of every one of its members.” – Emerson I-logue #1. “What studying philosophy means to me”. Why study philosophy? Shed some ink non-stop (“ink-shed” or “free-write”) on this for 10 minutes. Dialogue #1: “Belief project”. Draft a 2-page peer-log entry in which you: (a) Describe, in one sentence or paragraph, a philosophical view or belief you have that is important or meaningful to you, or that you feel very strongly or absolutely right about. (b) Describe, in a few paragraphs, your main reasons for believing this (your view/belief plus your reasons for it are called an “argument”). (c) Describe some reasons why others do not or might not believe your argument (these are called “counter-arguments”). (d) Respond to those counter-arguments with further reasons. Extra credit: Volunteer to read your belief project aloud and lead class discussion on it. WEEKS 3-4: NATIVE AMERICAN SHAMANISM Purpose: To examine the socially-constructed nature of belief and the individual’s power to alter it. To examine Native American philosophy as illustrated in a shamanic Toltec wisdom lineage. To link these ideas with Krishnamurti’s ideas on radically ideal education.
Skills Developed: Read, interpret, write, and argue about a radically different world view. Integrate views of radically different thinkers with each other’s and one’s own views. Vocabulary: Toltec, shaman, agreement, world-view, dream of the planet, mitote, poison, judge, victim, book of law, sin, matrix.. Readings: Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements. Suggested movie: The Matrix. Focus Questions: How much of our experience is a function of views we agree to accept? Can our agreements alter our experience? What are my agreements? Quotable Quotes: “All that we are is a result of what we have thought.” – Buddha “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could move mountains.” – Jesus I-logue #2. “Agreements to Conform”. Don Miguel and Krishnamurti think social reality is a function of collective conformity. Think of one agreement that you either lack and want to adopt, or have and want to disagree with. Describe it in detail, how it plays or might play a role in your life, and what it might be like if you chose to alter your life this way. Dialogue #2: “One Agreement”. Pick one of Ruiz’s four agreements, not picked by your peers, explain it in your own words, and quote one of Ruiz’s examples. Say whether you think this agreement is wise to adopt in your own life, and why, using an example. WEEK 5: TAOISM Purpose: To consider the Taoist vision of reality, experience, and spiritual life. Skills Developed: Continued expansion of perspective and fluency with reading, writing, and debating about alternate views and integrating them with each other and with one’s own. Vocabulary: Tao, Tao te Ching, I Ching, yin, yang, wu wei, paradox, opposition, harmony, yielding, sage, homeostasis, dualism, duality, polarity, unity, oneness, monism, language, concepts, reality, ineffable. Reading: Tao Te Ching. Focus Questions: Is there a Way of the world, a current we can flow with, a nature or reality we can yield to? Is inner peace and outer harmony possible? What is the Way for me? Quotable Quotes: “The spoken Way is not the real Way.... He who speaks, doesn’t know; he who knows, doesn’t speak.” – Lao Tzu “Stop talking, stop thinking, and there is nothing you will not understand.... There is no need to seek Truth; only stop having views.” – Sengstan “A man does not seek to see himself in running water, but in still water. For only what is itself still can impart stillness to others.” – Chuang Tzu “Sometimes, I sat in my sunny doorway from sunrise till noon, rapt in revery, amidst the pines and hickories and sumacs, in undisturbed solitude and stillness, while the birds sang around or flitted noiseless through the house, until by the sun falling in at my west window, or the noise of some traveler’s wagon on the distant highway, I was reminded of the pass of time. I grew in those seasons like corn in the night, and they were far better than any work of the hands would have been. They were not time subtracted from my life, but so much over and above my
usual allowance. I realized what the Orientals mean by contemplation and the forsaking of work. To some extent, and at rare intervals, even I am a yogi.” – Henry David Thoreau I-logue #3 : “The Tao of Being Me”. What does Tao mean to you? In what way might the Tao be something you can relate to in your own life? What is your Tao? Dialogue #3. “My Fortune Cookie”. Quote a saying (one or two sentences at most), from our text on Taoism, that is most meaningful to you, explain what it means, and why you find it meaningful. How might its truth be seen in an example from your own life? WEEKS 6-7: HINDUISM Purpose: To consider a variety of Hindu views of reality, experience, and spiritual life. Skills Developed: Continued expansion of perspective and fluency with reading, writing, and debating about alternate views and integrating them with each other and with one’s own. Vocabulary: Atman, brahman, Brahmin, Vedas, om, nirvana, samana, mantra, yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi, the self, enlightenment, yoga, indulgence, austerity, ascetic, meditation, reincarnation, karma, Buddha, deities, courtesan, Hinduism, caste system, sage. Readings: Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha. Focus Questions: What is enlightenment? Is it possible? Is reincarnation true? Karma? Quotable Quotes: “Yoga citta vritti nirodha” (the yogic trance state of union is achieved by stilling the waves of consciousness) – Patanjali “The mind of a yogi is under his control; he is not under the control of his mind.” – Sri Ramakrishna “When a pickpocket meets a saint, all he sees are his pockets.” – Hari Das Baba I-logue #4: “Govinda’s Vision”. At the very end of the story, Govinda kisses Siddhartha’s forehead, and experiences a mystical vision. What does the vision reveal? What do its symbolic images mean? What effect do you think it will have on Govinda? Dialogue #4: “Enlightenment”. Siddhartha and the Samanas have very different ideas about what enlightenment is, and how to achieve it. Describe their different approaches in your own words. Which makes more sense to you, and why? WEEKS 8-9: BUDDHISM Purpose: To explore Buddhist philosophy, history, theory and practice. Skills Developed: Continued expansion of perspective and fluency with Asian philosophy. Experience in the practice of mindfulness meditation. Vocabulary: Mindfulness, vipassana, trance, jhana, conditioning, stimulus/response, equanimity, omen, “middle path”, “four noble truths”, zen. Readings: Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction. “Introduction to Insight Meditation” (handout). Focus Questions: What is distinct about Buddhist meditation? Is Buddhism a religion? Is lasting happiness possible? Is inner peace possible? Is increased awareness of the motivating factors of one’s experience inherently good? Is the self an illusion?
Quotable Quotes: “If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.” – Shunryu Suzuki “To see the world in a grain of sand, and Heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour.” – William Blake “Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual, everyday routine.” – Shunryu Suzuki I-logue #5: “ My Meditation Experience”. Write about your in-class meditation experience. What was it like? What did you like/dislike about it? What was new for you in it? Do words capture it? Does it shed any light on your readings about Asian philosophy? Dialogue #5: “The Buddhist Theory of Freedom”. Explain how Buddhist meditation is supposed to lead to freedom, referring to Buddha’s Noble Truths 1 & 2. WEEK 10: AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY Purpose: Develop an increasingly inclusive/pluralistic view of philosophy, expose students to Bantu animism, continue to compare radically divergent world views. Skills Developed: Receptivity to radically divergent world views, apply abstract concepts (e.g., metaphysics, epistemology, ethical theory) to concrete belief systems, synthesize ideas. Vocabulary: Bantu, Orisha, Muntu, bintu, ontology. Readings: Onyewuenyi, “Is There an African Philosophy?” (Handout) Focus Questions: Are the Bantu doing philosophy, or do they have a philosophy? What is Bantu metaphysics, epistemology, and ethical theory? Quotable Quotes: “Having a college degree does not qualify an African as a wise person in the community.” – Onyewuenyi I-logue #6 . “African Philosophy”. Onyewuenyi thinks that since the three main fields of philosophical study are metaphysics, epistemology, and ethical theory, and since Bantu beliefs and practices may be categorized in these three ways, it follows that the Bantu have a philosophy. But are they philosophers? Do they do philosophy? Referring to the Bantu, discuss the difference between having a philosophy and doing philosophy. Dialogue #6: “African metaphysics, epistemology, and ethical theory”. Explain how Bantu beliefs and practices fall into these three philosophical categories, according to Onyewuenyi. Do any and all beliefs systems count as philosophies? Why/why not? WEEK 11: SOCRATES – EUTHYPHRO Purpose: Examine and experience the Socratic method in its full Socratic dress. Skills Developed: Practice in Socratic inquiry and debate. Vocabulary: Piety, pious, impiety, impious, form, essence, definition, genus/species. Readings: Plato, Euthyphro (in Trial and Death of Socrates) Focus Questions: What makes an action moral, just, right, good, pious, sacred? Quotable Quotes: “Is something pious because the gods love it, or do they love it because it is pious?” – Socrates
I-logue #7: “What piety is to me”. What makes something pious, holy, or sacred, to you, or what would it take for something to be pious, holy, or sacred, for you? Dialogue #7: “Socrates’ Big Question”. The quotable quote above is Socrates big question in the dialogue. Explain the two different alternatives Socrates is asking about, saying what each means, and why one might think each alternative is correct. WEEK 12: SOCRATES – THE APOLOGY Purpose: Examine the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Skills Developed: Ability to view a life from the perspective of the agent whose life it is. Vocabulary: Oracle, muse, knowledge, wisdom, a/gnosis, ignorance, a/gnostic. Readings: Plato, The Apology (in Trial and Death of Socrates) Focus Questions: What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom? Is Socrates pious, a Sophist, guilty? Should Socrates have asked for a different sentence? Quotable Quotes: “Wisdom is knowledge of one’s own ignorance.” – Socrates “No man is wiser than Socrates.” – The Oracle of Delphi “The virtues are the ornaments of the soul.” – Socrates I-logue #8, “Socratic Wisdom”. In what ways do you agree and in what ways do you disagree with Socrates’ view of wisdom, and why? Dialogue #8: “Socrates’ Lawyer”. Take up the role of Socrates’ lawyer, and defend him as a certain sort of philosophically pious man to the jury, using your own reasoning, beliefs, and arguments.
Philosophy 71D01AM
Instructor: Dr. Rick Repetti PHILOSOPHICAL PORTFOLIO
Your philosophical portfolio consists of (1) peer-reviewed log entries, (2) philosophical journal entries, and (3) formal writing assignments. These are all readingbased and designed to help prepare students for informed in-class debates. 70% of your grade is determined by how thoroughly you develop your portfolio. The philosophy of teaching philosophy that supports this writing-portfolio-based course is that the best way to learn about philosophy is to do philosophy, and most philosophers do philosophy by reading, writing, and debating about it regularly. (1) Peer-Reviewed e-Blackboard “Dialogues” (20%). “Peer-reviewed” means “read and responded to by one’s peers”. Since you will be responding to each others’ log entries, they are dialogues. (i) Dialogue Originals (10%). Due at the start of each new unit, students type dialogue entries on guided questions about the readings, on the electronic Blackboard. (ii) Dialogue Responses (10%). Due before the end of each unit, students read at least two others’ dialogues and type their responses to them, also on the eBlackboard. (iii) Dialogue Rewrites. For a higher grade, post a rewrite on BB based on the responses of your peers. (2) Philosophical Journal Entries: “I-logues” (20%). A monologue with yourself (an “I-logue”) in which you explore your thoughts about aspects of the course. These are mostly “free-writes” or “ink-sheds” in which you write spontaneously without stopping for a specified time on a specified topic. Keep a separate composition notebook for I-logues. Number, title, and date each I-logue entry, all neatly on the first line of a fresh page. The purpose of the I-logue is to help the student formulate his/her own (Classical-based) philosophical views. Your audience is you, so spelling, grammar and punctuation are not crucial: Write the way you think and speak. But I will read them, so they need to be legible and comprehensible. They are your own philosophical explorations, experiments, struggles, reactions. You are your own guru here. Some of these are assigned without notice to be done in class. (3) Formal Writing Assignments: “Logos” (30%). Two short, formal, readingbased writing assignments (15% each) in which you present your argument (“logos”) on an issue. Details for each assignment are listed on the handout entitled “Logos: Formal Writing Assignments”. Due dates to be announced. The purpose of each Logos is to get you to construct an informed philosophical view/argument of your own on an issue from class readings, using your own reasoning and evidence, and responding to the reasoning and evidence of philosophers as seen in the texts.
Phil. 71 Sec.D01AM Repetti Eng. 12 Sec. D10BM Armstrong Final Short Research Project Choose one of the topics below and write a five page spaced typed essay with one inch margins on the top, bottom, and sides. You must use 12 point font. For assignment, you must at least one source from within and only two sources from outside of class. You may use a website.
double this class not
1. Based on your reading of Mortimer Adler, Krishnamurti, and Don Miguel Ruiz write a research paper on what it means to be an educated person. 2. Don Miguel Ruiz defines sin as doing something “against” oneself (31). Write a research essay offering your own definition of sin. 3. Given that Ruiz, Krishnamurti, and Albert Camus focus on the way our environment influences how we behave, write a research essay in which you examine how our environment influences our growth and development as individuals. 4. In order to illustrate the “power of the word,” Ruiz uses Adolf Hitler’s ability to lead Germans to commit murder. He says that Hitler’s words largely created the mass extermination of the Jewish race and other groups. Using this idea write a research essay on the language or leaders can influence people. 5. Lao Tzu defines nature as a benevolent force which humans should try to merge for harmony peace. Therefore, write a research essay in define what humans’ relationship with nature be.
with and which you should
6. Using Ruiz as a starting point, write a research essay on the reason that young people join gangs. In writing on this topic, consider the “domestication” issue as it relates to why the young people are joining gangs and the gangs’ own form of “domestication.”
7. Ruiz and question research material
Lao Tzu both argue that people should their materialistic desires. Write a paper on whether or not possession of items actually makes people happy.
8. Using Plato’s The Trial and Death of Socrates as a starting point, write a research essay on how much dissent should be tolerated in a society. 9. In Chapter One of Damien Keown’s book on Buddhism, he quotes Ninian Smart’s seven criteria for a religion. There is some debate as to whether or not Shamanism and Buddhism are religions. Looking at Smart’s definition, write a research essay in which you define what a religion is. For this, you might refer to articles on certain legal cases that involve a legal definition of religion.
